Find out about our Flag State Inspections here
All Barbadian vessels are required under sections 202 to 208 of the Shipping Act 1994 to be inspected annually.
We have a worldwide network of Appointed Nautical Inspectors who are authorised to undertake inspections on our behalf.
Once inspected, a Certificate of Inspection will be issued and must be displayed on board in a prominent location, typically in the accommodation or on the bridge.
Vessel owners or managers are responsible for arranging the annual inspections for their vessels directly with our Appointed Nautical Inspectors (ANIs), their details can be found here
Our ANIs are not restricted to a specific area or region so may inspect a vessel in any location. All costs relating to a Flag State Inspection are to be agreed between the shipowners/managers and the ANI, with payment made directly to the ANI.
All inspections can only be carried out by our ANIs.
The BMSR and our ANIs carry out several types of inspection:
Annual Flag Safety Inspection (AFSI)
The purpose of the AFSI is to confirm that the ship maintains the registration, operational safety, and pollution prevention standards required by the BMSR and is remains technically suitable for continued registration.
The AFSI is to be conducted within the period 3 months either side of the vesselâs anniversary date, as indicated on the Certificate of Registry.
Follow-up Inspection
A Follow-up Inspection might be carried out where the vessel incurs more than 3 deficiencies, or is detained, during a Port State Control Inspection (PSCI).
The scope of a Follow-up Inspection is to verify that all deficiencies have been properly rectified, and measures put in place to prevent recurrence of the deficiencies.
Additional Inspection
â Persistent failure to rectify deficiencies by the due dates or recurrence of deficiencies;
â PSCIs and AFSIs;
â Class and Statutory Surveys;
â International Safety Management Code (ISM) audit(s);
â IACS Procedural Requirements PR17 Reporting on deficiencies possibly affecting the implementation of the ISM Code on board;
â Information on serious defects or substandard conditions received from the BMSR Inspectors, Recognised Organisation surveyors and auditors, other Administrations, etc.;
â Information received from the BMSR ANIs, PSCOs, ROs surveyors, crew members, etc., of serious breaches of the MLC Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.
Bulletin B004
For further information on flag state inspections, including how deficiencies are to be dealt with and the Special Inspection Program (SIP), please refer to Bulletin B004
Our Appointed Nautical Inspectors Across The World
Stay Connected
Nautical Inspectors
A network of Nautical Inspectors is available to carry out annual ship safety inspections and to assist ship operators whenever required. The list of Inspectors may be accessed here:
Shipping Legislation
legislation.
Bulletins
We provide regular bulletins to keep our clients and associates abreast of new developments, and work closely with all our ship owners and managers to help maintain a quality fleet.
Recognised Organisations
Ten Classification Societies that are members of IACS (International Association of Classification Societies), as well as several other recognised organisations, have been appointed to survey and issue statutory certificates on our behalf.